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CROESO MAWR TRADITIONAL WELSH FOOD - BWYD CYMREIG TRADDODIADOL |
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HEARTY WELCOME MODERN WELSH COOKING - COGINIO CYMREIG CYFOES |
FABULOUS FOOD IN WALES
BY
KEN THORNE, NINNAU FOOD EDITOR
MID WALES
LLANWRTYD WELLS
Carlton House Restaurant. 011 44 1591 610 248. www.carltonrestaurant.co.uk.
For real Foodies this food shrine is one not to be missed. The food was very much dragon, the facility rustic. However, the dining room is very, very gracious and has a genuine sense of theatre about it. When Chef Mary Ann Gilchrist brings in your meal you have in every sense the feeling of being the recipient of a command performance!
This restaurant was awarded a Michelin Star this year recognizing Chef
Mary Ann Gilchrist’s outstanding abilities and acknowledging her as one of
Europe’s best.
Her Seared Fillet of Local Beef topped with Black Olive
Tapenade was the finest and most flavorful tender fillet I have probably ever
enjoyed. A warning, Mary Ann only cooks to medium rare. (For those preferring
more well done meat, she suggests practicing eating less well-done portions
with your eyes closed!)
Her
appetizer of Grilled Seafood Sausage with Creamed Spinach and a Chive
Velouté was a very craftily executed superb dish.
Dessert was
rice pudding - a favorite of mine. Mary Ann's served a Caramelized Rice Pudding
with a Fresh Raspberry and Creme de Framboise Compote. Be sure to leave room for
this wonderful rendition.
The small seven-room hotel is decorated in interestingly rustic
Victorian pieces affording guests a quiet and comfortable environ. In the
morning, don’t miss Mary Ann’s gorgeous deep saffron colored free-range
scrambled eggs. No saffron is added but these eggs have such color and flavor
that one’s mouth waters at the very thought of breakfast at the Carlton.
Husband, Alan Gilchrist, perfectly complements the partnership with his management skills in the front of the house. Both are very proud of their new restaurant, Bassets Brasserie. Just a block away, it offers an appealing alternative level of dining. Photos from top. Seafood Sausage, Seared Fillet of Local Beef, Caramelized Pice Pudding and Very Special Scrambled Eggs Traditional Breakfast.
The Wynnstay Hotel. 011
44 1654 702 941. www.wynnstay-hotel.com
This famous old coaching inn,
built in 1780, has played host to numerous personalities over the years
including George Borrow (Author – Wild Wales) in the 1850’s.
Machynlleth was the site of Owain Glyndwr’s Parliament during the war to
re-establish Wales as a separate kingdom.
Purchased by Charles and Sheila Dark in 1998, they immediately began
refurbishing and restoration. Now completed, the inn is very comfortable. A
real coup for the Darks was their ability to secure the services of Chef
Gareth Johns. Gareth is one of Wales' (and Britain’s) leading chefs. Award
winning in his own right, he is also a member of the Welsh Culinary Team. He
has a passion for the history of Welsh and Celtic food.
For entrees, Gareth cooked sample sizes of his gold medal-winning version of Roasted Boneless Radnor Lamb Chump (rump), his Famous Peppered Gressingham Duck Breast and an historic recipe - Salmon Crusader Style. All were very worthy of Gareth's reputation. Dessert - a delicious Caramelized Welsh Lemon Tart. Photos from the top. Guest Room with Four Poster Bed, Peppered Duck Breast and Roasted Lamb Chump.
Ynyshir Hall, Eglwysfach. 011
44 1654 781 209 www.ynyshir-hall.co.uk
A short distance south of
Machynlleth on Route A487 nestled in beautiful grounds is Ynyshir Hall. Rob
and Joan Reen own this Michelin Star restaurant. The place is just superb. Rob
is a distinguished artist noted for his painting of local scenes in bold and
lavish colors. You’ll love Joan’s flair for interior design. Using many of
Rob’s paintings, she employs color and furnishings to create elegant and
restful guest environs. Once a
retreat for royalty, this facility 
under the care of the Reens has become one
of Wales’ very finest.
With award winning Chef Les Rennie, Ynyshir Hall is a Mecca for Modern
Welsh Cooking. The food preparation is perfection and the artistic
presentation is such you don't know whether to eat it or just keep staring
in bewilderment! On my visit I enjoyed an appetizer of Spring Roast of Wild
Rabbit – on one plate, three different treatments - a Roast Saddle, 
a
Rillette and a Terrine. For my entrée, I ordered Roast Fillet of Welsh Beef
with Shallot Puree and Horseradish Sauce. Dessert was a Study in Chocolate
- single plate with three different chocolate mini desserts. - beautiful to
look at but the tastes are a chocophile's paradise! Photos
from the top. Spring Roast of Wild Rabbit, Roast Fillet of Welsh Beef and A
Study in Chocolate.
There are two Griffins close to
each other; this one is south of Llyswen much nearer to
Brecon (north about 4
miles) on Route A470 at the Felin Fach Village exit.
The Griffin is an old wayside pub, once operated by Evans Bevan Brewery
of Neath, Glamorgan. His grandson, Hugh Evans Bevan and partner, Charles Inkin
have converted it to an inn with seven rooms and a restaurant with very good
food. The restaurant, furnished with a mismatch of antique and rustic
collectibles together with its two-sided open fireplace, offers a very warm
and comfortable atmosphere.
On the night of my visit, I enjoyed an appetizer of Boudin Noir plated along with a Caramelized Apple Wedge and Cranberries Poached in Port. Boudin Noir is French version of black pudding (think Welsh traditional breakfast). It was very smooth in texture with subtle flavors. This dish was a very unusual combination but the tastes worked well together.
The
main course was Roasted Wild Pigeon on a bed of Buttered Spinach and Cream
ed
Lentils with Pancetta. Preparation of this dish was excellent and it was
delightfully presented. Dessert was a White Chocolate Mousse with Welsh Clotted
Cream. Faultless!
Bricklayers Arms, Montgomery, Powys 011 44 1686 668 177
The Bricklayers Arms is what every pub should be like. Master Chef Rob Jennings runs the kitchen while Co-Owner Sara Pezzak manages the front of the house. I wish more pubs were locally owned and operated. I can personally verify it to be a “beacon of good food”. Enjoy a nice pub atmosphere.
Some typical Welsh menu items would be for appetizers: Cream of Cauliflower Soup with Welsh Mature Cheddar Cheese; Wafers of Abergavenny Smoked Chicken with Baby Leaf Salad with Wholegrain Dressing and Mille Feuille of Seafood Garnished with Ynyslas Mussels in a Noilly Prat Cream Reduction.
Main courses: Slow Roast Fillet of Salmon Glazed with Porth Farm Honey, Puglia Pasta and Sauce Vierge; Fillet of Local Beef with a Fondue of Leek, Chestnut Mushrooms with Madeira Jus and Loin of Marches Lamb Stuffed with Mulled Apricots, Dauphinoise Potatoes and Redcurrant Jus.
Emyr
Griffith, publisher of
“Welsh Rarebits - Hotels of Distinction” introduced me to
the Bricklayers and incidentally, Emyr’s book is one I use on every trip (www.welsh-rarebits.co.uk).
Mwynhewch
eich Prydau - Bon Appétit - Enjoy your Meals.
